No search box or site map on the pages checked

Why does it matter?

Menus are hard work for some people: a screen reader user in a large dropdown, or someone who cannot remember which section a page is in. A search box or a site map gives them another way to find a page.

Who it affects: Keyboard and screen reader users filling in forms, people with low vision who rely on clear hover and focus styles, people distracted or made unwell by motion, and anyone who finds their way around a site by its menus and help links.

What does Lumtera flag?

Part of Lumtera Pro's cross-page consistency (Growth plan and above), on the "Cross-page consistency" card of Lumtera → Checks → Test sessions, run after each scheduled page check or with "Compare pages again". Reported for review when none of the pages checked has a search box or a link to a site map. It is fine if every page is reachable another way, for example when all pages are linked from every page.

Check ID consistency-multiple-ways, as shown in review mode and saved results.

How do I fix it in WordPress?

Offer more than one way to find pages: for example a Search block in the header, and a site map or a list of pages linked from the footer.

Example

<header><nav>…</nav></header> <!-- no search, no site map anywhere -->

<header><nav>…</nav><form role="search">…</form></header>
<footer><a href="/site-map/">Site map</a></footer>

How do I check the fix?

1. Run the page check again from Lumtera Pro's Page checks screen. The finding disappears once the page passes.
2. Submit the form with the required fields empty, using only the keyboard and then a screen reader: the errors should be announced, focus should move to them, and each message should say what to fix. Hover over and Tab to links and buttons to see that they stay readable, and compare the menus on a few pages.